President Biden made a glaringly false statement as he pardoned two turkeys at the White House Monday, incorrectly claiming that his home state of Delaware has the most chickens in the nation.
‘We have more chickens than anybody in the nation in Delaware, but we don’t have turkeys,’ Biden, who turned 80 Sunday, falsely claimed during the annual tradition.
Delaware has an extensive list of farms that raise turkeys – also contradicting the president’s claims that the birds are not in the state, which is often referred to as the Blue Hen State.
However, the nation’s second-smallest state does have a booming poultry industry with a chicken population that outnumbers its residents by 200:1. But Delaware’s chicken population does not crack the top 10 of states in the nation, according to Statistica. And its poultry industry, which is worth an estimated $1.7 billion and provides 3,500 jobs, is not even in the top five in the U.S., according to the National Chicken Council.
Biden pardoned two turkeys from North Carolina Monday, ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Chip,’ which he said is his favorite ice cream flavor.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.